Becoming Who You Are and Should Be
by MyPPGstory
Summary: With graduation only a month away it's time for the girls to choose their own destiny and their own lives. But an unhinged Professor might stop them in their ways as they girls transition from the Powerpuff Girls into adulthood. Story is mostly from Buttercup's POV, ButtercupXAce, BubblesXBoomer.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Bubbles!" Buttercup cried out pounding on the bathroom door, " Put the lip gloss down and hurry up! I gotta pee!"

"I'll be out in a minute!" she cried from inside in her sweet voice.

Buttercup growled in frustration and went back into her room. She was thankful every day she finally had her own room, Professor Utonium or dad as they now called him, had added two more rooms to their home and given each of the girls their own room for their thirteenth birthday. Buttercups room was messy, as always, with band posters covering her walls and her bass guitar sitting on its pedestal in the corner. Also a gift for her thirteenth birthday from Mitch, much to the regret of their Dad. She hadn't stopped playing since then and was now in a band with Mitch who played Drums and Elena who sung and played guitar.

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Bubbles was trying desperately to wipe away tears from her eyes and conceal any evidence that she had been crying. She attempted to quietly throw up without anyone hearing, which was difficult because two of the people she lived with had sonic hearing. As she slipped into her clothes she tried hard to button up her pants which became increasingly difficulty with each week that passed. Every time she failed she just felt like crying all over again out of frustration. In the end she just decided to go with a skirt and find a shirt that would cover her easily. With some finishing touches on her makeup, she walked out of the bathroom with a solemn face.

"It's about time!" Blossom said coming out of her room with her massive backpack on, "I need to finish my hair and makeup before I give my speech today in Mr. Thatches class! Presentation counts!"

"Oh no you don't!" Buttercup said flying out of her room as Bubbles kept her head down and went into her room, "I need to take a piss first."

"Stop talking like that! It's not lady like!" Blossom scolded and let Buttercup go first.

"Gee thanks mom," Buttercup teased and entered the bathroom.

Once her business was done, she grabbed her backpack near the front door and waited for the others. Blossom came down promptly checking off her list on her phone.

"Lunch, Mr. Thatch speech, math homework, money for graduation cap and-"

"Oh do we need to turn that in today?" Buttercup asked suddenly remembering.

"You're money is in that envelope on the fridge from the professor which he reminded us about weeks ago," Blossom said in an annoyed tone, "Bubbles! C'mon its time to go!"

Bubbles slumped down the stairs wearing her baggy grey sweater and a long black skirt. She let her long blonde hair flow over her shoulders and her blue eyes looked sad. She had seemed sad and quiet for a few weeks, Buttercup noticed. Blossom didn't, till now.

"That's what you're wearing?" Blossom asked confused.

"Yup, can we just go?" Bubbles said pushing past her sisters out of the house.

"What's with her lately?" Blossom asked as Buttercup came back.

"I don't know but then again what do you care?" Buttercup shot back as she too walked out the door.

Blossom sighed and rolled her eyes as she exited the house and started trialing the blue and green streaks across the sky towards Townsville High. Things had been rough at the Utonium household lately. Their dad had been busy on numerous projects and never really spent much time with the girls anymore. The girls had been offered a full time job working on the police force after they graduate, Blossom eagerly accepted and had been pushing her sisters to accept. Blossom was also offered a full scholarship to Townsville University for her outstanding SAT scores and numerous recommendations form teachers. She had her whole life mapped out, she was going to study law and become a lawyer and work on the police force.

Bubbles wasn't as eager, in fact for the last four years basically she had spent all her time with her boyfriend Boomer and she had joined the cheerleading squad. She hadn't thought much about her future, all she cared about was cheering at the Friday night footballs games and spending all the rest of her time with Boomer. She hadn't given much thought to her future…

Buttercup had. She had big plans for her future but she hadn't told anyone her plans yet. After graduation, she had plans with Mitch and Elena to hit the road. They wanted to head to Citysville which had a growing music scene. If they could make it big there, who knows what could happen. Not to mention all the adventures out on the road they could have, Buttercup wanted to see it all. She also had other plans forming in the back of her mind, but it was a big commitment to make. She didn't want to be a powerpuff girl anymore. She just wanted to be normal and had made a promise to herself that after graduation and once they all hit the road she wouldn't use her powers anymore unless absolutely necessary.

Once at school, Blossom rushed off to organize her locker for the third time this week, Buttercup met up with Mitch, Scott and the rest of her friends and Bubbles kept her head down as she walked through the halls. Typically Bubbles was the center of attention at school, her natural beauty and her powerpuff girl credit ensured that. Usually people would say hello to her and talk with her as they stared. Today with Bubbles sonic hearing she could hear their whispers as she walked by.

"Did you hear about Bubbles?"

"Did you see under her frumpy sweater?"

"I bet I know why she's dressed like that today."

She needed to talk to Boomer. As she made her way through the hall she found Brick and all his football buddies talking excitedly about the upcoming prom. Bubbles intervened.

"Hey if you sister sent you here to shake me down again tell her to go-" Brick started to say to her.

Bubbles cut him off, "Don't even think about finishing that sentence! Where's your brother Boomer?"

"I don't know, all he does is hide out in his room and never hangs with me or Boomer anymore," Brick replied, "what'd you do? Cut him off from sex?"

"Oh shut up!" Bubbles said storming off and feeling her eyes watering. She was so sick of being hormonal and over emotional as she held her books close to her stomach. As she walked through the halls to class.

During lunch Buttercup, Mitch, and Scott all snuck behind the dumpsters. The wall behind the dumpsters had a permanent smell of weed and cigarettes and the wall was always covered in the latest gossip via sharpie notes. It was where all the 'losers' of the school hung out. Mostly druggie burnouts, the trouble makers and even a few class clowns. They were all fans of their band Dead Roses.

"I am so ready to get out of this hell hole," Elena grumbled pushing her deep auburn hair behind here ear.

"Hey we only got one more month," Mitch replied pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket.

"Yeah, you know my sisters and my dad will have a melt down of epic proportions if I don't finish school," Buttercup reiterated for the hundredth time.

"Yeah mine too," Mitch replied puffing on a cigarette, "you know my mom wont give us the van if we don't stay."

"I know!" Elena responded rolling her eyes, "I'm just so ready to get out."

"Ditto," Buttercup said.

Elena had been one of Buttercups best friends since seventh grade. They had bonded over music and soon enough began imitating what they would hear once they got a guitar and a bass. Elena was an amazing singer, she was like a cross between Nirvana and Lana Del Rey. She had that grungy, emo girl kind of look but was delicate like a rose. It definitely helped with all the guys (much to the annoyance of Buttercup sometimes) Even Butch had hit on her a few times at a few drunken house parties. Still, it didn't matter to Elena how many guys came onto her.

"Elena!" called a voice from not so far away as Rachel started walking towards them.

Elena smirked at the pretty voluptuous blond that walked toward her and said "Hey babe."

The two girls embraced and started making out following all the usual cat calls from the crowd who hung out at the dumpster wall.

"Oh shut up boys," Rachel called out and took Elena's hand as the two of them wandered off. Buttercup liked Rachel too, she was a firecracker and kept Elena's mood swings in check.

"Man what I would do to see what those two girls do at their sleep overs," Mitch said as he watched the two women walk away as he tossed his burnt cigarette to the ground.

"Shut up," Buttercup said playfully punching him.

"So have you spilled the beans yet?" Mitch questioned her as the two of them wandered to the gossip wall.

"I'm working on it," Buttercup grumbled knowing it would not blow over well.

"You better tell them soon, your old man is just gonna be a hundred times more pissed if you just drop the bomb right before we leave," Mitch pointed out.

"I just don't wanna-," Buttercup began to say.

Near the wall there were two girls in their cheerleading uniforms, they were the typical party girls that didn't care if they were seen with the dumpster crowd. Usually Buttercup would go out of her way to avoid these girls but as Buttercup and Mitch were talking her sonic hearing picked up what they were whispering in the corner about as one of the girls had a sharpie in her hand writing an new message on the wall.

"Of course Bubbles is pregnant," one of them stated quietly, "she's to much of an airhead to be smart about stuff like that? And did you see how she was all over Boomer at the last football game? She's a total slut."

"Whoa! Hold up!" Buttercup shouted even though she was standing nearly fifteen feet away from the gossiping girls, "What the fuck did you just say about my sister?"

The cheerleaders stood their ground and smirked at Buttercup with their perfectly lip glossed lips. The main cheerleader, Paige, had scrawled a message on the wall with a sharpie stating 'Bubble's is a dumb pregnant bimbo'.

"Oh did little Bubbles not tell you?" she jeered at Buttercup, "I thought she told her sisters everything."

"Shut the fuck up Paige," Buttercup shouted back, "what you just said isn't true!"

Now the dumpster crowd was watching the cat fight with hungry eyes, waiting for it to get worse.

"That what?" Paige said speaking louder to draw more attention, "that your sister is a stupid bimbo that got knocked up? You know that's why she quit cheer right?"

"Not she didn't," Buttercup replied, "for some crazy insane reason she wanted to be a cheerleader."

"She quit this morning," Paige smirked again running her manicured hand through her bleach blond hair, "and she's gaining weight and crying all the time. It's totally obvious, there's a baby powerpuff on the way."

Buttercup threw her fist at Paige's face but barley stopped. Paige still squealed loudly out of fear and jumped back, a few of the dumpster scene laughed. With her lazer eyes she burned away the message that Paige had written about her sister and turned to Mitch.

"I gotta go find bubbles," Buttercup said quickly thinking about her sister. It had to be a lie…right?

"I'll come with you," Mitch said being supportive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Buttercup walked home in haze. She wanted to walk, it was apart of her plan to learn how to function without her powers. She liked the steam she blew off from walking, especially today. Her mind was in a flurry of thoughts…bubbles was pregnant.

Once Buttercup had heard the gossip she found Bubbles. Together the two of them hid out in the bathroom during class so they wouldn't be bothered. Bubbles told her the truth, and Buttercup was left speechless. She didn't' know what to say to her sister, once their dad found out he was going to flip out. Suddenly her plan to head to Citysville seemed like a terrible idea, was it right for Buttercup to leave her family when Bubbles was going to need her the most? Blossom and their dad will be furious, there was no telling what would happen next. He seemed to be off lately…

Buttercup wanted to ditch but Bubbles insisted on staying. She said she needed to talk to Boomer and he agreed to meet her after school. Buttercup hugged her and promised that she would do whatever she could to help her. They both knew of the shit storm to come. Bubbles cried, Buttercup cried and went through the rest of the day in a haze and was now walking home.

She saw the pink streak crossing the sky as Blossom flew home. Buttercup took the long way home so she passed by the Firehouse, Bonsai park and Townsville cemetery. As she passed the cemetery she glanced around, it was a bright sunny day and many of the headstones gleamed in the light and vibrant with colorful flowers. As she looked around the graveyard she noticed someone who had his back to Buttercup kneeling at a grave that didn't have a headstone. Typically Buttercup would have kept her head down and kept walking…until that person kneeling at the grave stood up.

Buttercup's heart dropped. She recognized that long greasy hair and the blue and orange vest anywhere…it was Ace. Buttercup froze unsure of what to do, Ace still didn't notice her. He just stood there staring at the ground where there must have been a grave marker. Buttercup now became aware of just how silent the graveyard was, just her and Ace.

Buttercup hardly remember the last time she saw Ace or any of the gang green gang. The powerpuff girls had fought them off every once in awhile but it must have been around the time that Buttercup was about eight or nine. The gang green gang seemed to just disappear. Of course Bubbles and Blossom didn't notice. Buttercup did, she remembered her stupid little kid crush she had on the man who was now standing alone in the graveyard, mourning. She had gotten over her crush years ago but she never forgot about Ace.

Ace never turned to face her as he started walking away from the grave towards a red truck parked on the other side of the graveyard. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath the whole time. Buttercup sighed, she had momentarily forgotten about Bubbles and everything else that seemed important to her and now her mind flooded with curiosity. She thought of going over to the grave to see who Ace was mourning before deciding it wasn't her business. She had to get home.

Bubbles promised to be home within the hour after they all got out of school. Professor was making dinner tonight for the first time in days. Buttercup stripped off her leather jacket as sweat started to drip down the back of her neck. Summer was going to be a bitch, Elena wanted to go to the beach to play a gig. But could she really go now?

It was a sweet relief to step into the house with fresh blast of air conditioning. She let her heavy green backpack slump to the floor loudly.

"Buttercup!" Professor Utonium yelled from the kitchen, "please don't just slump your bag all over the place! Go upstairs and do your homework!"

Buttercup groaned loudly and picked up her backpack again.

"And drop the attitude!" Professor Utonium screamed as she pounded up the stairs.

Blossom was waiting in her door frame as Buttercup walked through hall.

"Why are you so late getting home?" Blossom questioned with her arms crossed.

"I walked genius," Buttercup said walking to her room and tried to quickly slam the door.

Blossom was just as quick she stopped it and followed her into her room, "Why would you walk? I don't get it we can fly."

"Yeah well I like to feel like a normal fucking human for once not the 'Powerpuff girls'" Buttercup said imitating the narrartors voice.

"Stop cursing so much, you're just going to make the Professor mad," Blossom said lowering her voice, "the professor got a cut in his pay."

Buttercup stopped and looked at her orange haired sister, "Really? How much?"

Blossom shut Buttercup's door now and crossed her arms, "I don't know. All I know is that when I got home on time, I heard the professor downstairs and his boss was telling him that the lab is getting its funding cut and now everyone's making less money."

Buttercup mulled it over in her mind, "We're not like going broke are we? He still has plenty of money right?"

"I don't know ok, and don't say anything all I'm saying is just behave!" Blossom ordered.

"Dammit…" Buttercup muttered.

The professor is going broke and Bubbles was pregnant.

"Where's Bubbles?" Blossom asked.

"I don't know," Buttercup said grabbing her bass and plugging it into the amp.

"Oh Buttercup c'mon!" Blossom begged.

Buttercup cut her off before she could finish that sentence and began playing a deep rift. This is what Buttercup loved about music, the loud noise just tuned everything else out and she could just let go play and laugh and have fun while she did it. It didn't take long for the professors voice to come booming over the small intercom he had installed in al the rooms in the house now, "Buttercup!"

"Hey we had a deal! I get to play until 5 o'clock under the condition that I maintain a B average in school!" Buttercup shouted loudly over her bass and she continued to shred.

"Fine! But 5 o'clock on the dot!" the professor yelled.

"I love you daddy!" Buttercup said back sweetly.

"Love you too honey," the professor said more calmly and the intercom beeped meaning it was off.

"See Blossom?" Buttercup said as she kept strumming the melancholy instrument, "I can play out dad as well as I play this bass!"

Blossom just screamed and threw her hands up in frustration and stormed out of Buttercups room. Also right on the dot, Buttercup heard the front door open at 3:59 indicating that Bubble's was home. Buttercup continued to strum her bass, now running over the songs she needed to memorize before they left for the summer. Even if Buttercup couldn't go now she was happiest when playing music. And she knew that this family was about to suck and that things were going to get bad.

At exactly 4:59, Buttercup stopped playing and unplugged her bass and put it on its pedestal. It was a perfect Fender bass, it was a deep sparkly green color with a white face. She named it Belladonna.

"Girls! Dinner!" the professor yelled from downstairs.

"Coming!" Blossom's sweet voice rang as she ran downstairs.

Buttercup stepped out of her room and saw Bubbles just coming out of her room as well. Her bright blue eyes shined with sadness.

"Just act normal," Buttercup whispered and squeezed her hand. Bubbles nodded as the two of them headed downstairs.

The professor and Blossom where already sitting at the table and Buttercup and Bubbles sat down. The professor was reading over a paper in his hand with a piece of bread in his hand. In the center of the tabled was hamburger helper. Again, for the second week in a row.

"Ok dad," Blossom said grabbing the paper out of his hand, "remember, no work during dinner."

"You're right Blossom," the professor said with a weak smile.

Everyone served up their own bowl not speaking a word. Buttercup was starving and…apparently so was Bubbles. She and Buttercup ate their food quickly. For the first five minutes of dinner no one said anything, nothing but the sounds of forks hitting the ceramic bowls. Buttercups ears were still ringing from her jam session.

"So…" the professor eventually said, "How's school?"

"Great! Mr. Thatch gave me 12 extra credit points for dressing up for my speech," Blossom reported happily.

'Dressing up' which now meant that Blossom dressed like a kindergarten teacher. Sweater vests and long skirts. Even their actual Kindergarten teacher Ms. Keane, or now as she goes Mrs. Jordan since she got married, dresses cooler that Blossom.

"Good, very good," the professor mused like a robot, "Buttercup? Bubbles? How's school?"

"Good," Bubbles said with a small smile, "I got my biology paper back and I got a 80."

"An 80?" the professor asked, "What questions did you miss?"

"I… I don't know," Bubbles said quietly.

"Well didn't you get your paper back?" the Professor asked.

"Well yeah but I don't have it here, it's in my locker," Bubbles said more sternly.

The professor sighed, "Honey you know you have to try harder, colleges are going to look at those grades when you go to apply."

"Not unless I join the police force like the mayor offered me," Bubble shot back.

Buttercup glanced at Bubbles, if they went into the police force they had to do two months of boot camp. That would be hard for her to do given her current condition.

The professor just slumped over and kept on eating.

"Hey dad is it cool if I get an extra two hours on my curfew on Friday night? Me and Elena are playing at Andrew's end of the year party. I swear I won't do anything illegal and I will be home right on time," Buttercup said pitching her case.

"Will there be any illegal activity going on at this party?" the Professor questioned.

"None of it will be done by me, I'm just going to play my set with the band and leave," Buttercup continued, "please dad? I did clean the bathroom clean all week and I got a B on my math exam just like you asked."

"Whoa if her B in math gets her two extra hours my 12 extra credit should get me the whole night," Blossom pointed out.

"Like you would even stay out that late anyways miss in bed my nine," Buttercup said rolling her eyes.

"Hey you know what they say, early to bed, early to wake, makes a lady smart, pretty and gr-" Blossom started to say.

"Oh will you stop saying that?" Buttercup groaned.

"Girls! Enough!" the Professor yelled and slammed the table, "Look Buttercup I'll let you go on one condition. You have to take both your sisters with you."

"What?" Buttercup and Blossom said in unison.

"But she's not even friends with my friends!" Buttercup replied.

"Yeah and I have plans already this Friday night, I'm reading all of the classic novels written in the 1920s!" Blossom squealed.

"Either all of you go together or none of you go," stated the professor.

"Fine," Buttercup grumbled, "it'll be a good chance for you to get out of your Ms. Politician clothes and try to not act like such a dork."

"I am not a dork!" Blossom replied.

"And you three girls had better be on time coming home, if you are one second late you're all grounded," the professor boomed.

"I won't be!" Buttercup said getting up and giving her dad a hug, "I promise I'll be right on time. Thank you!"

"Your welcome," the Professor said halfheartedly.

The rest of dinner was eaten in silence, the Professor went back down into the basement to get back to work, the girls all did the dishes, Buttercup did her homework as promised (even if she half assed it) and got ready for bed. As Buttercup laid there her mind was in a whirl of chaos. Bubbles was pregnant while the professor was going broke. And all the while she was planning on essentially running away to Citysville to chase down her dreams. Could she leave right now with her family's' collapse just on the horizon? Should she?

And amidst all that she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to Ace. Buttercup almost felt guilty for catching Ace at a vulnerable moment. She wondered who was buried in that graveyard but it didn't feel right to go find out. It was Ace's business. Still she was very curious about her first love, where had him and the gang been all these years? What was he up to now, and why was he back? As she drifted off to sleep she was haunted by the memories of how her first love broke her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The last 5 minutes of school that Friday there was a buzz across campus. Andrew's end of the year bash was tonight and half the school was going. Everyone knew that Dead Roses were going to be playing tonight. They had a pretty decent following at school, half of them really liked their music while half of the others just wanted to see Elena and Rachel make out at the party. Buttercup had plans to head over to Elena's soon after school but she had to run home first. Today all three of the girls flew home together. The professor wasn't home when the girls got home, a note on their fridge told them he wouldn't be home till later tonight.

"Sweet! We're free tonight girls!" Buttercup said happily as she raced up the stairs.

"I really don't want to go to this stupid party," Blossom grouched.

"Why not?" Bubble's asked trying to be optimistic, "Brick will be there, show him on what he missed out on."

"Brick's going? Is he going with his new girlfriend?" Blossom asked now feeling her face getting warm.

"I would imagine so," Bubble's replied but put her arm around Blossom comfortingly, "Look all we got to do is make you totally hot and we'll find someone new for you. It's been too long, time for you to bounce back."

Blossom sighed and knew that she wasn't getting out of this, "Fine."

Upstairs Buttercup was packing away everything she'd need for tonight. Mitch was coming by later with the van to load up her bass and her equipment. They had a band rehearsal planned for two hours before the party starts. In the meantime, Bubble's enlisted the help of Buttercup to try to find something cool for Blossom to wear to the party, it was slim pickings from her wardrobe. So, Bubble's lent Blossom one of her black tank tops and a pair of red shorts.

"C'mon let's do your makeup," Bubble's said enthusiastically. She was always happy whenever it came to makeup or dressing up.

Buttercup opted out of it when she got a text from Mitch saying he was close by. She could hear the loud van approaching as she looked out her window as Mitch honked as she pulled up to the house.

"Let's go green!" Elena called out with Rachel sitting behind her, "I've got a girl to screw before we go to the party for good luck!"

Rachel laughed as Mitch hollered in acceptance next to them. Buttercup laughed from up in her house, as she grabbed her guitar case and everything else she needed thrown into a duffle bag. Mitch came up and grabbed the amp and said his hellos to Buttercup's sisters. She agreed to meet up later tonight with the girls and left. The next few hours flew by quickly, the band headed to Mitch's garage and ran over their set and practiced and were fully prepared for the party. Elena lived three doors down from Mitch's house and her and Rachel came up with some excuse of having to go to Elena's house with a mischievous grin.

"Man what I would give to be a fly on the wall in Elena's room right now," Mitch said as he spiked up his hair into it's usual fohawk.

"Yeah it's not as great when you have a sleepover with the two of them and get kicked out to the couch," Buttercup said recalling the number of sleepovers they've had of the years.

"Do they ever invite you into their sleepovers?" Mitch asked with a slight grin, "Really tell me everything, I won't tell anyone else."

"Oh yeah," Buttercup said sarcastically, "but only after a long, sweaty pillow fight first."

Mitch and Buttercup laughed. Her and Mitch had been friends for years but strictly platonic. They had made a deal back when they entered a bad together to keep it that way. Buttercup loved having a guy friend that she could depend on. The two of them told each other everything, Mitch even figured out the truth about Bubbles but Buttercup knew she could trust him.

"Can I ask you something?" Buttercup began to say.

"Of course," Mitch said as he loaded things into the back of the van.

"Do you think I should still leave after graduation?" Buttercup asked.

Mitch stopped loading and looked at Buttercup with a pained look on his face.

"I mean," Buttercup said feeling her stress rise just thinking about it, "with Bubble's being pregnant and the Professor losing out on money I'm just wondering if…"

Mitch sighed and went and sat next to Buttercup on the amp, "look, I know you love your sisters but we've been talking about this for two years now. Besides, Blossom's going to go away to college and the Professor will be fine…what about Boomer? Where is he in all this? Every time I see him or Bubble's they both just look miserable."

"Bubbles talked to him a few days ago after school, I don't think it went to well," Buttercup confessed.

"Did they break up?"

"I don't think so," Buttercup replied, "but they're both just… freaked out they don't know what to do."

"Yeah," Mitch agreed, "it's a shitty situation but I know Boomer really loves Bubbles. Once the shock wears off he'll come around. I think the two of them will be ok but you, I know that if you stay here to help your family you'll never leave."

"I know," Buttercup stated, "I've thought about that too."

"You're freaked out about your family I get that," Mitch began to say, "but now that we're about to graduate and go out on our own for the first time you need to think about you and what you want."

Buttercup sighed, she wished it was that easy, "Yeah…hey don't tell Elena or anything alright."

"I won't," Mitch promised.

Buttercup spent the next few minutes polishing her bass Belladonna and thinking about what to do. It felt as if there were no easy answers.

"Hey you know what else I found out that day," Buttercup said feeling her stomach churn.

"What?" Mitch asked.

"Ace is back in town," Buttercup stated honestly.

"That guy you had a crush on when you were a kid?" Mitch remembered, "where'd you see him?"

"At the Townsville graveyard," she responded.

"Is he dead?" Mitch asked nonchalantly.

"No!" Buttercup shouted, "I just saw him there."

"Did you talk to him?"

"No he seemed…busy," Buttercup replied. She had been playing the moment over in her head all week. Seeing him kneeling there, staring at the greave and him walking away. Over and over in her head like a movie.

"Buttercup and Ace sitting in a dump, K-i-s-s-i-n-g," Mitch started to teased until Buttercup playful punched him on his shoulder. A few minutes later, Elena and Rachel came strolling hand in hand back to the garage.

"Hey feeling lucky now?" Buttercup jestered as the two came back.

"Oh yeah," Rachel stated wrapping her around Elena's waist.

"Can't play without my good luck charm," Elena winked, "C'mon lets head to Andrews so we can set up."

With everything packed away in the van, they all headed to Andrew's huge house. He was the richest guy in school and threw all the best parties. His backyard was the best, they had a huge deck that looked over the whole yard which was where the band would be playing. On the west side of the yard he had a swimming pool, and a bunch of huge shady trees throughout that were hung with soft lights just as the sun was setting. Andrew was setting up a few different kegs around the yard and getting a beer pong table set up while Buttercup, Mitch, Elena and Rachel were all setting up the amps and their equipment.

Back at the Utonium home Bubbles was just about finished with Blossom's make up.

"Stop twitching," Bubbles ordered as she continued to shade Blossom's eyelids.

"I can't help it with you stabbing me in the eye," Blossom said dramatically.

"Just do this," Bubbles said raising her eye brows high to demonstrate.

Bubbles was excited for tonight; her mood has been more stable and the morning sickness had subsided. She found a flowy light blue dress in her closet that flowed off of her perfectly so that no one would notice her new curves. She just decided tonight to just ignore her…situation. She talked to Boomer a few days ago, Bubbles wasn't sure what to expect. Neither did Boomer, they were still just shocked and unsure of what to do. However, Bubbles was tired of Boomer avoiding her. If he showed up tonight she was going to confront him.

"What if Brick shows up?" Blossom said her nervousness setting in.

"If he does you need to be smiling and laughing the entire time you're at the party," Bubbles responded, "even if it's fake."

"What is he's there with _her_ ," Blossom pointed out. She and Brick had dated back over a year ago but he had cheated on her with a girl from the Soccer team.

"Who cares about Julia," Bubbles retorted, "everyone knows she'll give it up to anyone, she's a slut!"

Bubble's just thought over what she had said in realizing that that's what people were whispering about her behind her back.

"I really don't want to go to this party," Blossom confessed.

"Well too bad, because I feel like going out tonight and it's time for you to start having some fun too!" Bubbles encouraged, "We're graduating in a month, turning 18 over this summer and you're going to head to college soon."

"What are you going to do?" Blossom asked now that it had been brought up which Bubbles was not regretting, "Have you applied to any schools or are you going to join the police force?"

Bubbles felt her stomach sinking at picturing her future and in turn felt a flash of anger as she shouted out, "no talk about any of that tonight. Tonight we're having fun!"

The two girls climbed into the car that the professor had bought for all three of the girls, it was a Prius. Buttercup refused to drive it. As they drove to the bigger neighborhoods with the bigger houses they found Andrew's house. A bunch of cars were parked out in the front and judging by the noise, Buttercup and her band were already playing. Bubbles could feel her excitement growing, she also felt a pang of sadness. She missed Boomer, before all this…mess. The two of them went to Andrew's parties together all the time. She missed him.

Blossom parked the car and the two girls got out and headed towards the backyard. A few of the early party guests were already there and breaking in the kegs. Blossom grimaced at them.

"If the cops showed up here right now-," She began to say.

"They won't, at least not for another few hours," Bubbles confided, "try to loosen up a bit. Your scholarship isn't going anywhere and you might as well try to have fun before then."

Blossom shrugged, feeling out of place. Back when she and Brick were together, they hung out at the parties and went out all the time. Things were easier back then and all of Bricks friends were her friends. Except Blossom was the only one who stuck to her curfew unlike her sisters. Brick stayed at the parties even after Blossom left. She remembered the one day when she walked into school and everyone was staring at her and laughing behind her back. Apparently everyone knew that Brick was cheating on her long before she figured it out. She was the laughing stock of the school for weeks after her breakup.

"Bubbles!" a few girls called from off to their right. It was Melissa and Caitlyn, they were on the cheer team with Bubbles and her best friends. They ran up to the sisters quickly.

"Bubbles we need to talk to you," Melissa said quickly glancing at Blossom.

Bubbles could sense the urgency in their faces. She didn't want to talk to them, she could only assume what they wanted to speak to her about. But still, she figured she ought to hear what they had to say. She glanced at Blossom pleadingly.

"Oh fine, I'll go watch Buttercup," Blossom said rolling her eyes at the cheerleaders.

Melissa and Caitlyn pulled at Bubbles dragging her over to the farthest corner of the yard. A few of the other cheerleaders were at the party and as she moved through the crowd she found more eyes staring at her. Once the girls had their privacy they began to grill her.

"So?" Caitlyn questioned her.

"So what?" Bubbles said feeling annoyed.

"Did you tell your sisters? Or your dad?" Caitlyn asked.

"No," Bubbles said shuddering at thinking of the thought, "I mean Buttercup sort of figured it out but I don't want to deal with it so I'm just pretending like it never happened."

Caitlyn and Melissa gave her both the same confused look.

"Bubbles," Melissa started to say, "People are talking."

 _Just ignore it_ , Bubbles had to say to herself, "Let them talk, there's nothing to talk about."

"That's now what we've been hearing," Caitlyn continued crossing her arms, "people are saying your getting…fat."

"Look all we're saying is that the people who are here are going to talk," Melissa pointed out, "you should probably keep a low profile and maybe talk to Blossom before someone else does."

"Look can you two please stop talking about it," Bubbles stated as her anger boiled but managed to keep her voice down, "I don't want to talk about it, and I don't want to think about it tonight! I just want to have fun."

"Well you had your 'fun' and look where that got you," Melissa pointed out, "you need to go see a doctor."

"No!" Bubbles shouted before walking away from them.

Up on the deck overlooking the yard Dead Roses was rocking out. Their set for the night was their usual upbeat rock music. Music that was easy to dance or rock out too. Rachel and lots of their other dumpster friends all gathered near the deck cheering them on enthusiastically. Buttercup loved these moments, when she could just feel normal and beautiful all at once. It was like her heart was beating with Belladonna and the music. She saw Bubbles storming into the crowd, she looked upset. In the distance, she could see all the cheer bitches looking at her and whispering. If it weren't for the music she might have heard what they were saying but she couldn't.

As they came to the close of their first set, Elena spoke through the mic happily, "alright guys! We'll be back to play another set at 11! For now enjoy the prerecorded crap that Andrew has for you tonight!"

A few laughed while Elena winked at Andrew as he came up on the deck and plugged in his ipod. Buttercup placed Belladonna gently onto the stand as some hip/hop club music began playing through their amps. Buttercup liked it, she liked all kinds of music and was ready for a drink. She and the rest of the band went over to he keg, receiving high fives from fellow drunk teenagers alike as they pumped themselves a drink.

Of course Blossom was right on her tail, "Hey! No drinking!"

A few people around the keg laughed as Blossom approached.

"Yeah right, I'll get right on that mom," Buttercup replied taking a big swig of the beer.

"You know that the professor will be pissed if you come home drunk," Blossom pointed out.

Rachel being the outspoken person that she was spoke up, "If you're so worried about your daddy why don't you go home then?"

Everyone laughed, even Buttercup as she ignored the small voice in her head.

"Yeah everyone knows that ever since you got dumped you never party anymore," another bystander pointed out.

"Why so I can be a party girl like you?" Blossom threw back at the girl.

Buttercup recognized her, Trisha. She was in her math class and was a frequent of the dumpster crowd.

"At least I know how to keep a man interested," Trish replied calmly sipping her beer and arching her sculpted brow.

The other all laughed again as more people gathered around the keg waiting for drinks, while Blossom tried to hide her humiliation. The voice in the back of Buttercups mind was getting louder.

"At least I don't have to turn into a whore to keep a man," Blossom replied angrily, "and at least I can pass Biology on my first try."

"Oh god you think you and your sisters are so perfect!" Trisha yelled back getting angrier.

People were starting to stare.

"Buttercup let's go," Blossom ordered.

"You're not my mom," Buttercup replied still sipping her drink, "Stop trying to boss me around."

"You know just because you guys are the powerpuff girls doesn't make you any better than the rest of us," Trisha pointed out, "and yet you walk around school like you own the place and like you practically run this town."

This was part of the reason why Buttercup didn't want to be a powerpuff anymore, a lot of people in their school was sick of them.

"We've saved this town a million times before!" Blossom exclaimed, "If anything you should be thanking us!"

"Yeah well, we'll see how long that lasts once Bubbles gets huge and once Buttercup takes off," Trisha stated making Buttercup's stomach drop.

"What do you mean?" Blossom asked glancing over at Buttercup, "Why is Bubbles going to get huge? And where are you going?"

Buttercup was ready to just sink into a whole and her sisters pink gaze tore her down.

"Your sisters pregnant," one of Trisha's clones stated, "guess the little powerpuffs aren't so perfect after all."

Now everyone was quiet and tense, for some people gathered around the keg, this was their first time hearing this.

"Shut up Trish," Elena spoke up, "you don't know anything, I mean if you can't pass biology you probably don't even know how to get pregnant!"

A few people around them laughed breaking off the tension, Blossom still stared at Buttercup.

"Just run on home little girl, back to your books and your homework like a loser," Trish stated and looked past Blossom and noticed someone else, "Hey Brick! Hey Julia! You guys want a beer?"

Blossom looked over her shoulder and saw Brick with his jersey on and his scantily clad girlfriend hanging off of him. Brick's face fell slightly as he noticed Blossom over by the keg, Julia noticed too and started making out with Brick aggressively as Blossom watched.

Blossom felt the tears gather in the corner of her eyes, "Buttercup?"

Buttercup could feel the guilt and worry building in her stomach, Elena saw it too.

"C'mon lets get out of here," Elena said grabbing Buttercups hand and her, Rachel and Mitch all walked away from the keg.

"Oh she's crying," Trish teased as others around her laughed.

Blossom quickly took up jumping into the sky with a pink streak across the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

"Oh god look at that!" Blossom pointed out with Bubbles next to her.

She followed Blossoms gaze over to Buttercup who was pouring herself a beer at the keg with her band friends. Bubbles whished she could have a beer.

"Just let to go Blossom," Bubbles pleaded, "she knows better than to come home super drunk. She'll be fine."

"She's underage!" Blossom stated, "and she's joining the police force after graduation! She can't be drinking."

Before Bubbles could get in another word, Blossom headed towards the keg to confront her sister. Bubbles know it wouldn't end well, and now she was standing in the middle of the party alone. She couldn't talk to her cheer friends. Half of them were talking behind her back and the other half were…well probably still doing the same thing. Bubbles scanned the crowd and saw Butch entering in with his friends. She walked calmly over to him.

"Butch, have you seen Boomer?" She questioned him while his other friends walked past her.

"Uh…" Butch started to think while his eyes wandered down to her stomach past her flowy dress.

"Hey! Eyes up here!" Bubbles stated snapping her fingers, "Where's Boomer?"

"Alright fine!" Butch exclaimed, "he's hiding out at the top of the water tower in Townsville."

"Is he doing ok? Does he ever talk about me?" Bubbles questioned.

"Not really, he's not talking, or eating or sleeping," Butch replied.

Bubbles bowed her head sadly. Butch sighed.

"Look I'm sorry alright?" Butch replied, "I'm not good at this kind of shit but I know that Boomer loves ya, he's just freaked out right now."

"I am too," Bubbles replied softly.

"Just go talk to him," Butch stated and walked past Bubbles into the party.

As Bubbles sat there contemplating what to do, she saw a flash as a pink streak flew across the sky. Blossom must have just took off.

Bubbles considered following her until she got a text from Buttercup: _She knows_.

Dammit, Bubbles thought to herself as tears started falling again. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were when her and Boomer were happy. She started to text him: _butch told me you're at the water tower, can I come see you?_

It didn't take long for her to get a reply: _Yea_

Bubbles took the Prius and drove to the water tower on the other side of town. She saw Boomer's feet hanging on the edge of the walkway as she parked. She flew quickly to the top of the ledge and landed quietly like a cat. Boomer didn't move at first, he just kept his eyes upward. Watching the moon and the stars. Bubbles sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Boomer finally wrapped his arm around Bubbles pulling her closer.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly to her.

"It's ok," Bubble replied grabbing his hand that was slumped over her shoulder.

"I've been an asshole lately," Boomer whispered.

"You're freaked out…I am too," Bubbles pointed out.

"Yeah but I still shouldn't have been avoiding you like I have," Boom responded, "Not after everything that we've been through."

Bubbles sighed and just buried herself into his chest, breathing in the cologne she recognized, "Blossom knows."

Boomer stiffened next to her.

"Boom, if she tells the professor he's going to be so mad at me, what if he kicks me out?" Bubbles said now letting her tears fall.

"Hey," Boomer said cupping her face, "he won't, he loves you…and even if he does I'm still here."

"Are you?" Bubbles asked implying a much larger question.

Boomer understood what she was asking, "Look…I've been thinking about this for awhile now and I still don't know what to think. All I know is that I still love you and I want to be with-,"

Bubbles cut him off by capturing his lips on hers and just kissed him. He returned the kiss with all the softness and sincerity he could put into it as he held her close.

"We'll be ok," Boomer whispered to her once Bubbles buried herself in him, "we'll figure it out together."

Back at Andrew's house, Elena, Mitch and Rachel were in the kitchen passing around a joint. As she passed it off to Rachel, Buttercup grabbed at a bottle of whiskey on the counter and took a shot. She was still tense and on edge and they still had a set to play. She puffed on the joint aggressively, she wanted to be high. She didn't even want to think about what was going to happen next as far as her sisters were concerned.

"Hey I'm gonna go grab a Red Bull before our next set," Buttercup said after she had finished off the last of the joint, she was good and high now.

"Want me to come?" Mitch asked her, who was also pretty blazed.

"No I'll be a'ight," Buttercup said giggling and stepped forward wobbling.

"Hey be careful girl," Elena said with her hand wrapped around Rachel, "don't get lost and don't take too long or Imma gonna shoot ya."

She mad a fake gun out of her hands and pointed it at her in her tipsy state and smiled at her best friend.

"I won't be long," Buttercup said hoping over the nearby fence. She walked passed the perfectly cut lawn near the mansion and started walking down the street. The warm summer air was sweet and warm. The buzz from the weed made her feel all tingly and if she were floating on air. All her problems melted away as she walked through the night to the nearby gas station a few blocks away. She managed to get in grab her Red Bull and popped it open in front of the store and began to chug it. She was sure she smelled like weed and booze, a few people turned up their nose as they walked past her.

Just as she was about to head back to Andrew's she heard the sound of a spray can behind the gas station. Buttercup laughed to herself thinking about what Blossom would do if she were here, beat up whoever was defacing the wall and give a stern lecture on property damage and disrespect and blah, blah, blah. Buttercup liked street art, on her days off when she had nothing to better to do she would fly around town looking for art to check out. She always wished she could catch them in action, the bad needed an album cover before they headed to Citysville.

So, she sloppily walked around the corner with the combination of booze, weed and Red bull in her system to check out the artist in action. What she didn't expect was that as she turned the final corner to get to the back of the gas station she was face to face with…

"Ace?" Buttercup stated when he saw her and started to giggle.

"Buttercup?" Ace said with his thick city accent and stopped in his tracks with a black spray can in hand.

Buttercup didn't know what was so funny but she couldn't stop laughed, she knew it was from the weed, "what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Ace questioned dropping the can into nearby duffle bag, "And…are you high?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Buttercup said imitating a game show noise and continued to giggle, "whachya painting?"

Buttercup stood closer to him and looked at the wall and looked up with hazy eyes. Ace had painted a white skull with dark lines, he had fangs much like Aces and one gold tooth. A pair of shiny black sunglasses much like the ones Ace wore covered the eye holes. In contrast with all the white and thick black lines, the skeleton was taking a bite out of a bright yellow sunflower with a few petals falling freely. Next to the skull in big bold letters of green and black letters it stated, 'taste the sun, even in death".

"Whoa Ace this is so sick!" Buttercup said staring at it, taking it all in.

"You're not gonna pound the shit out of me are yous?" Ace asked nervously.

"Nah man," Buttercup stated still staring at the artwork, "I'm done with my powers."

"Really?" Ace replied surprised.

Now Buttercup turned around and came face to face with him. He had changed a lot since the last time she'd seen him. He was wearing just a plain black shirt with his sunglasses tucked into the hem and a pair of dark jeans. Buttercup could tell through his thin shirt that he filled it out perfectly, his arms had filled out too, he was a lot buffer. His jaw was a lot more defined as stubble covered part of his face. He looked like he had aged but in a good way, he wasn't just some punk teenager now, he was a man.

"Your not using your powers anymore?" Ace asked surprised.

"Your eyes are brown," Bubbles pointed out and giggled again as she leaned against the wall but was careful not to land in the wet paint, "I never noticed."

"Yeah not surprised you didn't notice after all those years of yous guys beating the shit out of us," Ace stated and stepped a little closer to her, "have yous been drinkin?"

"Only like a smidge," Buttercup said feeling herself topple slightly.

"C'mon kid you're smarter than that," Ace replied shaking his head slightly, "where are your sisters?"

"Urgh, I don't know," Buttercup said feeling her stomach beginning to churn, "Uh…pregnant and well still bitchy."

Ace raised his eyes brows in shock to hear this, he was always kind of curious to see how the powerpuffs would turn out but that was not what he was expecting.

He offered a hand to Buttercup, "C'mon I'll drive you home."

"Hell no," Buttercup responded as her stomach was starting to ach, "What time is it?"

Ace glanced at the watch on his wrist, "10:48."

"See I still gotta few hours till…" Buttercup started to say until her stomach seemed to flip over suddenly and expel everything that was in her stomach.

Ace groaned but grabbed at Buttercups hair pulling it back gently and tried to avoid the aim of fire. Just as buttercup was about to take another drink of her Red Bull Ace stopped her.

"Hey trust me that ain't gonna help ya kid," Ace said grabbing the can away from her, "Yous need coffee or water."

"I'm not a kid!" Buttercup shouted back as she wiped away at her mouth embarrassed. She had thought about what it would be like to come face to face with Ace again and this was not how she pictured it. Suddenly the Powerpuff Girls theme song started to play from her phone in her back pocket.

"Not a powerpuff girl huh?" Ace said smirking at her.

Through his smirk Buttercup could see his fang poking through his thin smile.

"Shut up!" Buttercup grouched as she pulled out her phone.

"Hey B!" Elena said drunkenly with the sounds of sirens in the background, "so the cops broke up the party but we all got away and we got Belladonna too."

"Ah shit, that sucks," Buttercup sighed, "everyone ok? Who's driving?"

"It's all good mitch is driving, he only had one beer and is good to drive. We got Belladonna too," Elena replied sleepily, "Where are you at?"

"I'm still at the gas station," Buttercup stated, "and I'm fine."

"Do you want us to come pick you up?" Elena offered.

She glanced over at Ace, who was… checking her out. She saw his eyes scan her up and down and quickly turned away once she noticed.

"Um, not it's ok I'll…" buttercup started to say, "I'll just fly."

"Alright well text me when you're home," Elena said softly and sleepily.

"Alright I will," Buttercup promised as she put her phone into her pocket.

"So…" Ace questioned taking a step closer "Who's Belladonna? You're best friend…. girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend perv," Buttercup said sternly, "it's my bass."

"You play bass?" Ace asked raising his eye brow.

Buttercup only nodded as she ran her hand through her sweaty hair. She leaned flat on the cool wall in the humid summer heat.

"Wait here," Ace ordered as he grabbed his wallet out of the duffle bag near by, "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

With that he walked away around the corner, Buttercup could hear the heel of the boot through the alleyway. Her embarrassment started to set in at realizing the situation she now found herself in. running into her crush from over ten years ago and she ran into him while she was nearly falling over drunk. She didn't have to be home till midnight but now all she felt like doing was flying straight home. She couldn't come home this drunk though, she had an hour to sober up.

Soon Ace's footsteps could be heard from around the corner. He came through with a big gallon of water and opened it.

"Here, drink some," Ace said offering the handle to her.

Buttercup smiled and took it, "Thanks."

The water was perfectly refreshing as she realized how thirsty she was. Ace stood by and was checking out his phone. She offered it back to him. Replacing his phone to his pocket he took the gallon and poured some through is hair and over his face.

He ran his fingers through is hair and took a big drink, "damn I'm not ready for summer."

"Me too," Buttercup nodded as her arms wandered down his muscled arm, "I'm kind of surprised you didn't steal this."

"Hey I'm a different man," Ace stated as he leaned against the wall and handed back the partially empty gallon. He reached into the pocked of his dark jeans and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and light one up.

Buttercup stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do. She sloshed the water around in the gallon and took another drink. Her face was hot and it was humid so she raised the gallon slightly above her head and let the cool water flow over her face and hair. Ace was watching her; her fang was poking out on the bottom of his lip with a familiar smirk. She could feel her cheeks blush as her mind raced with curiosity.

"Where were you?" Buttercup asked simply, "I mean the last time I saw you, I was probably like…9."

Ace puffed on his cigarette as his face grimaced, "I uh… I moved to Citysville."

"Will all of the gang?" Buttercup wondered.

Ace's face again seemed to scowl and said with a sarcastic tone, "Yeah."

Buttercup felt like she shouldn't push the subject any farther and she remembered it was only a few days ago that she had caught Ace at the graveyard.

"So did you just move back here or something?" Buttercup continued.

"Nah, I'm was just in town visiting for a bit," Ace replied as he started gathering the spray cans at his feet and tossing them into his duffel, "I'm actually heading back tonight."

"You're leaving?" Buttercup asked.

"Yeah I gotta get back to work tomorrow afternoon," Ace explained with the cigarette in his mouth, "do you want a ride home?"

"Ugh I can't go home yet," Buttercup said shaking her head, "I'll just walk."

"You can't walk from here," Ace said boldly, "not at this time of night. Just let me drive you."

"Look I can't go home yet anyways," Buttercup explained, "I've still got an hour till curfew and I need to sober up."

"Alright I can wait another hour," Ace shrugged, "I however can't just let you wander around the city by yourself this late at night since you're clearly not a powerpuff anymore."

"Hey I've still got powers if I need em," Buttercup responded.

"Why don't you want to be a powerpuff anymore?" Ace asked.

"I just don't! I just wanna be…me," Buttercup confessed and sighed, "and I don't need a babysitter."

"Yeah but still you're a minor and this part of towns kind of rough," Ace shrugged and took the gallon of water from her, "nothin' but scumbags around this part."

"Hey I'll be eighteen in two months!" Buttercup shot back at him, "and why do you hang around all the scumbags if you're a changed man?"

Ace drank more water and poured more over his face and dripped down to his shirt..

 _Why does he have to be so damn hot…_ Buttercup thought to herself as his shirt started sticking to his muscles.

"Enjoying the view?" Ace teased with a smirk and held out the water to her.

"I take it back still the same old you," Buttercup said taking the gallon back. She was feeling daring, she wanted to prove that she wasn't the same six year old powerpuff girl. So she took the rest of the water and poured it over her face, through her hair and let it fall down the front of her black tank top.

Ace bite his lip and started to let his eyes wander and then stopped himself and turned away from her. Again Buttercup felt the heat of embarrassment, was that too far?

"So you play bass?" he asked to fill the silence, "you in a band or something?"

"Yeah," Buttercup said thankful that the awkwardness was passing, "we're called Dead Roses."

"Nice, I always figured you'd end up doing something cool," Ace acknowledged, "Did you say one of your sisters is pregnant?"

"Oh god my family is about to turn into a shit storm," Buttercup sighed rubbing her already aching temple.

"Is it Bubbles?" Ace guessed.

Buttercup looked over at him surprise, "How'd you guess?"

"Eh I had a feeling," Ace shrugged, "What about Blossom what's she up to?"

"Being a bitch," Buttercup groaned.

"Hey c'mon she's your sister," Ace replied earnestly, "if I had two brothers or even two sister's I'd be happy."

Buttercup sighed and shrugged, "I know I mean I love her but I think she's just…"

Ace watched her intently waiting for her to continue.

"She keeps trying to control what me and bubbles do. She really wants us all to stay 'the powerpuff girls' and anytime me or Bubble's drift away from what she wants she just freaks out. I think she's just freaked out because everything's about to change."

"Change is hard," Ace nodded as his face seemed to drop again, "but you never grow if you don't change."

"The professor's going to kill me and Bubbles once he finds out," Buttercup sighed, she was getting sleepy.

"Whys he gonna kill you?" Ace asked.

"Well it's because," Buttercup started to say, "I'm also moving to Citysville after graduation next month. Our lead singer Elena, she has a girlfriend Rachel, who's family is loaded and has a four-bedroom pent house in the city and they're going to let us stay there. Just so long as we don't trash the place. Rachel's dad also used some connection that he had so he bought us a full day in a real recoding studio so we can record an album."

"Damn that's awesome," Ace acknowledged, "the music scene in Citysville is awesome, always new awesome bands coming out. There's a ton of more clubs and stuff around too, easier to get gigs."

"What do you do in Citysville?" Buttercup asked, "You said you had a job."

"Yeah," Ace nodded, "I'm actually a tattoo artist."

"Really?" Buttercup asked impressed.

"Yeah guess all those years of graffiti about Townsville finally paid off," Ace expressed.

"Well you're an awesome artist!" Buttercup agreed and looked over at the skull and sunflower again, "I want to get a tattoo so bad."

"Well out shop doesn't tattoo minors," Ace explained.

"Hey two more months," Buttercup pointed out and remember, "hey I wasn't kidding about before either. We really need a cover for our album, you should design it, we'll pay you."

"Yeah?" Ace asked as his chocolate brown eyes seemed to light up, "I can always use some extra cash, why don't you get me a CD and we can talk about making up an album cover?"

"Sure, sounds awesome," Buttercup said as she pulled out her phone.

The two of them exchanged numbers and it was now that Buttercup noticed the time.

"Shit it's 11:48," Buttercup groaned, "I gotta head back."

"Let me drive you," Ace offered.

"It's fine, I can just fly," she replied, "but um…I'll text you and try to send you the cd."

"You good to fly?" Ace questioned her firmly.

"I'll be fine," Buttercup said and started to take a few steps away to get ready to take off, "and thanks for the water."

"Yeah no problem," Ace said with a small wave.

Buttercup nodded and started to hover slightly decided she needed to fly home slowly otherwise. As she started to get a little higher Ace called out to her.

"Hey Buttercup!" Ace said as she stopped, "it was good to see ya."

Buttercup smiled, "You too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Buttercup landed on the driveway gracefully and checked her phone. 11:57. She was right on time. She walked up to her front door as the crickets chirping away in the quiet night.

Once she unlocked the door with her key and stepped inside she called out, "Hey dad, I'm home. I would also like to note that the time is now 11:58!"

She slid off her black leather jacket and hung it up on the rack next to Blossoms sweater. The kitchen light was on but the house was silent, she guessed her sisters were already home and asleep. Professor Utonium must be in the kitchen drinking his tea waiting for her to check in. Buttercup hated that he waited up on them. She walked forward into the light and around the corner into the kitchen and her heart jumped to her throat.

Professor was standing there leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, looking exhausted and angry. Blossom was sitting at the kitchen table, her face was red and soaked from obvious hours of crying. As Buttercup looked more around the room, she saw broken glass on the floor.

"Where in the hell have you been?" the professor demanded monotonously.

"I was at Andrew's where I told you I would be," Buttercup said speaking softly while her heart started to pound, she really didn't want to piss off the professor.

"And did you do anything you weren't supposed to tonight?" the professor continued to asked with a scowl.

"No, I just drank soda and water all night and I played with the band and that was it," Buttercup replied trying to make it sound convincing.

"Oh I see," the professor said nodding his head, "so you were with those juveniles just now?"

"Whoa they're not juveniles for one ok?" Buttercup replied, "and yes I was with them and they just dropped me off."

"So where's your guitar?" the professor asked, "I didn't see you come in with it."

Fuck, Buttercup thought quickly, "Oh… shit I left it in his van I should text him and- and- just tell him I'll get it tomorrow."

When she did pull out her phone to send her pretend text she found a received text from Ace that read: _Can't wait to hear your music_

"Buttercup," the professor demanded loudly.

"Yes?" Buttercup said quickly and looked up at him.

"Elena was here and hour ago and dropped off your bass," the Professor stated calmly.

Buttercup felt her stomach sink like quick sand.

"Where the hell have you been?" the Professor screamed even make Blossom jump from the kitchen table.

Buttercup had fallen into a trap and there was no good way to smooth talk her way out of this one. Even before Buttercup could think up something the Professor started shouting again.

The Professor slapped the countertop loudly and started to scream at her, "You know it's time for you to start taking your life a little more seriously! You're going to be an adult soon time for you to start acting like one! Bubbles too! She around here with her head in the clouds and you hang out with those Juvenile lesbians-"

"Hey!" Buttercup shouted bag feeling her temper rise, "don't talk about them like that! They're good people! You know you're right, we're all going to be 18 in two months and we have a right to pick our own lives. We're not all going to be the 'Powerpuff Girls' anymore."

"As long as you are all living in my house and eating my food you'll do as I tell you!" the Professor screamed.

Blossom was trying hard to cry, Buttercup could feel tears welling up in her eyes too but she was to refused to show it.

The professor yawned and rubbed his temple, he needed to go to bed but of course he was going to go back into the lab to work for a few hours.

"Where's your sister?" the Professor grumbled as he kept rubbing his tired eyes.

"Huh?"

"I said," the professor reiterated loudly, "where is your goddamn sister?"

Buttercup jumped when he screamed at her and glanced down at Blossom. She shared a glance with Buttercup, her eyes with swimming with guilt.

Soon right after the front door slammed and Bubbles came running into the house breathlessly. She grabbed the door for support, folding onto the frame taking a few deep breaths before saying, "12 o'clock on the dot."

The professor and Buttercup both glanced at their phones, 12:00. She was right on time. The professor sighed and closed his eyes.

"Fine, I want all of you girls in bed now!" the professor declared and started to prepare another mug of coffee.

Blossom stood up and she and her sisters started to head upstairs. At the bottom step was Buttercups' guitar case leaned against the wall and her one small amp. She slung her guitar case over her shoulder which 'accidentally' hit Blossoms' shoulders as they all made their way up stairs. When they got to the top steps before either of them could do anything, Bubbles grabbed them both by their wrists and dragged them into her room. Once inside she shut the door behind them quietly.

"Did you tell him anything about what's going on with me?" she demanded.

"What are you talking about? It's not true right?" Blossom said crossing her arms sternly.

Buttercup rolled her eyes and Bubbles just sort of shrugged.

Blossom shook her head, "How did this happen? I told you to be careful and gave you…" Blossom said as her cheeks reddened, "You know protection."

"Why are you so scared of the word condom?" Buttercup said shouting the last word loudly and snickered.

Even Bubbles smiled for a second for the first time in weeks, Buttercup noticed.

"Keep your voice down!" Blossom shushed, "Bubbles how did this happen."

"Look it just happened ok?" Bubbles said with her bright blue eyes shining from tears, "I didn't mean for this to happen. But I talked to Boomer…"

"What'd he say?" Buttercup asked curiously.

Now Bubbles really smiled, "Well…we talked tonight and he told me that he loved me. He's going to join the police force full time. They even offered him benefits and health insurance and-"

"Bubbles! When dad finds out that you're pregnant he's going to be furious!" Blossom pointed out.

"So don't tell him," Buttercup stated.

"You have to tell him!" Blossom whispered, "Eventually he's going to realize it once you start to grow a full tummy."

"Blossom please," Bubbles said with her small shaky voice, "please don't tell him. I'm already freaking out and scared as it is. I really need you on my side, just please don't tell dad, please!"

Buttercup glared at Blossom.

Blossom looked between here sisters and shifted uncomfortably.

"C'mon princess," Buttercup encouraged, "stop being so perfect and lie for once."

"Bubbles how are you planning on hiding this?" Blossom asked.

"Boomers already signed up for the police force and everything," Bubbles pointed out, "he signed up when he found out I was pregnant and they offered him a one bedroom apartment by the base. We're going to move in together."

Buttercup was happy to hear this, she trusted Boomer. He was the sweetest out of all the Rowdy Ruff boys and Buttercup knew he really loved Bubbles. They had their ups and downs, there was a period of time when Boomer was becoming an alcoholic thanks to his idiot brothers. Bubbles almost left him then but Boomer changed and they made it through. Buttercup knew that the two of them loved each other, she secretly envied that. She never had the sort of connection with Butch or anyone really.

"Bubbles don't you think you're too young to move out and have a baby?" Blossom questioned.

"It's not ideal, this isn't what we planned. But I love Boomer, I know in my heart I always will and he loves me too," Bubbles exclaimed.

"And what about you?" Blossom said turning to Buttercup, "Where were you all night?"

"Out," Buttercup said calmly.

"Where?" Blossom pressed.

"With who?" Buttercup asked.

"Just an old friend you guys don't know him anymore," Buttercup lied but then again what she said wasn't entirely a lie, he was a different person now.

"What kind of old friend?" Buttercup asked playfully.

Buttercup grinned and felt her cheeks redden, "We'll see."

Bubbles and Buttercup giggled while Blossom just shook her head and yawned.

"Look I wont tell him," Blossom said and looked to Bubbles, "but you should!"

With that Blossom left Bubbles room straight to hers.

"Thank you little miss prefect," Buttercup said sarcastically.

"Seriously though," Bubbles asked with a small grin, "who were you out with?"

Buttercup ran her hand through her still damp hair thinking over her time with Ace. Sure he was hot but Buttercup didn't think that Ace liked her. She didn't trust him or want to get hurt by him…again.

"Is it Ace?" Bubbles pondered.

Buttercup raised her eye brows in surprise, "who did you…"

"Well when you said old friend I just sort of assumed," Bubbles shrugged, "how is he?"

"Different…" Buttercup stated still confused.

"Is he hot?" Bubbles questioned.

"Oh my god, incredibly so," Buttercup admitted thinking back to his wet tshirt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

That following Monday was a busy day at Townsville High, graduation was now three weeks away. First, Graduation caps and gowns were handed out, Blossom was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. Next, tickets for Prom went on sale, Boomer had surprised Bubbles at school with a dozen roses and a key. At first Bubbles was confused by the key until Boomer told her that was for their new apartment that the police force had provided for them. It was nice to see Bubbles so happy, Buttercup thought and smiled for her sister. Lastly, which was the worst of them all, happened in their last period with Mr. Truman.

"Alright, I know you all don't care about this flimsy piece of paper in my hands," he said holding up a stack of manila folders, "You're all too preoccupied with thoughts of prom, and graduation and that trip down to Mexico that mommy and daddy paid for and a word of advice, avoid tequila people."

The class all laughed, Mr. Truman was always Buttercup's favorite teacher. He joked with them a lot.

"But take these with you and go fourth and prosper," Mr. Truman said as he started and he started reading off names handing them out, "Ashley… Rachel… Mark…Jenna…Mitch… Blossom…Bubbles…Buttercup…"

The girls took their folders and pulled out the paper, report cards. It was obvious by Blossom's smug grin she got straight A's. Bubble's seemed pleased with hers. Buttercup just skimmed over hers knowing that her grades wouldn't be of any relevance to the music scene of Citysville. She mostly got B's and C's, she knew the professor would be pissed so she was going to just try to avoid it. As if right on cue, a miracle came through for Buttercup.

Simultaneously Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup all got a text from their dad: _Working late tonight. Sandwich stuff in the fridge, Bedtime at 9._

Buttercup smiled, this would make her day easier. As the final bell rang everyone all gathered up their things and filed out into the halls. People crowded their lockers, a few people held up fancy sings asking people to prom and some of the seniors were getting their last kicks with the freshman.

"Hey let's all fly home together," Blossom said speaking to her sisters, "I'll help you guys with your homework and I can make the sandwiches tonight."

"Oh actually I have plans," Bubbles said explained holding her books over her stomach, "Boomer's taking me to see the apartment."

"I still can't believe you're moving in with him," Blossom said judgmentally, "When are you going to tell dad?"

"I will tell him!" Bubbles promised, "And you promised that you wont!"

"I'm not going to but you're going to run out of time eventually," Blossom pointed it out.

"God can you stop being such a kill joy for once?" Buttercup said loudly, "We're graduating in a month, Bubbles and Boomer are happy together, you have a full scholarship waiting for you. Just be happy!"

"Well we should still go home, we still have a lot of work to do before schools over," Blossom encouraged.

"I have plans with Elena," Buttercup stated, "she's coming over to our house to help me cut a demo tape so I'm asking you nicely to please not bug us."

"So I have to listen to the crap you call music while I'm studying?" Blossom grouched.

Buttercup spotted Elena, Rachel and Mitch standing at the front door to their school and waved Buttercup over.

"Stay here and go to the library if it's so important to you," Buttercup said quickly, "Bubbles send me pictures of the place when you get there!"

Before either of them could say anything she raced over to her friends and together they all headed towards the student parking lot.

"So guess who got all B's on their report card!" Mitch said raising his arms up proudly, "And since I got all B's my mom promised she give us an extra $300 if I did."

"Hell yeah!" Elena said happily with Rachel on her hip.

"Lucky, I wish my parents would give me money for my grades," Rachel stated as she leaned up against Mitch's brown van.

"Oh please you're parents are loaded," Mitch pointed out propping open the back doors so they could all sit in the back. Elena's guitar case was also in the back and moved out of the way.

All around them excited upper classmen all spilled into the parking lot to their cars. Buttercup saw Boomer open the door to his car for Bubbles before getting in himself, he looked happy too. Buttercup also noticed Blossom flying over the parking lot leaving her pink trail behind.

"Yeah but they still don't spoil me like that," Rachel replied.

"Good," Elena said wrapping her arm around her waist, "I can't stand spoiled brats anyways."

Rachel giggled, "speaking of spoiled brats, Mitch promised to give me a ride to the mall so that I can buy some new clothes for this summer while you guys work on the demo."

"And who gave you the money for that?" Mitch asked playfully.

"Oh just shut up and let's go!" Rachel said playfully punching Mitch's big shoulder.

With that they all piled into the van and headed to Buttercup's house to drop off the two girls.

Before they got out Elena kissed Rachel and said sweetly, "find something black and lacey for me ok?"

"Yeah I'll help you pick some stuff out Ray," Mitch said smirking at his two best friends.

"Hey I'm trying to impress her, not you," Rachel replied.

"Yup, no boys allowed in my panties," Elena smirked as all the others laughed and jumped out of the van behind Buttercup. After they pulled Elena's guitar out of the back they waved goodbye and walked up to the Utonium home

"You know the best part about having Rachel as a girlfriend is that we're basically the same size in everything," Elena stated as they walked up to the house and the van drove off, "we get to share everything."

"Must be nice to share everything, clothes, panties, sex toys," Buttercup joked with her.

"Duh," Elena replied as the two girls entered the house laughing.

When they entered, they let their backpacks slump to the floor. From inside the kitchen they could hear Blossom's voice rang out.

"Buttercup! You know dad hates it when you just leave your backpack lying around," Blossom exclaimed.

"Hey the old mans not gonna be home for hours, I got time and we need to get to work to beat the 5 o'clock ring of silence sets in," Buttercup shouted as she quickly grabbed two sodas from the fridge and headed upstairs.

In Buttercup's room the girls spent the next few hours, setting up the equipment and getting up the one microphone that they had to record onto Buttercup's laptop. The next few hours they recorded all of the fifteen songs that they had but only vocals, guitar and bass. It was a slow process and frustrating to get it all to work. Even when the girls listened back to the recordings it didn't sound as good as they wanted it to be.

"Damn I wish we could just get into a real recording studio for just a few hours," Elena expressed after getting another error code on the laptop.

"I bet we could find one in Citysville," Buttercup shrugged, "hopefully we can all save up to buy us a few hours."

"First we need to get started," Elena sighed and stopped messing with the laptop and just started to strum on her guitar.

Buttercup liked listening to her play, the both of them just closed their eyes as Elena played a slow sweet melody. Buttercup jumped in soon after letting the music flow through them.

"What if this is all a big mistake?" Elena finally said quietly, "what if no one likes us?"

"They're going to like us," Buttercup ensured her, "we just have to take the leap and pull all out energy into it. I have faith in this band, we can make it happen. Besides you've seen all the music that comes out of Citysville, it's the perfect place for a band like us right now."

"I know I'm just…" Elena started to say as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Scared?" Buttercup offered and Elena nodded, "me to."

"Are you sure you're ready to go?" Elena asked eyeing her best friend.

Buttercup sighed, "Mitch told you didn't he?"

"He mentioned it but I don't blame you," Elena said putting her hand comfortingly on her shoulder, "there's a lot of shit in your family right now. I don't blame you for having doubts."

"I thought about staying," Buttercup confessed, "but I know that if I don't leave now I might not ever…and Bubbles has Boomer to support her. I know she'll be fine and once Blossom gets to the university she'll be fine too."

"Good," Elena nodded and hugged Buttercup, "Love you girl."

"Love you too," Buttercup replied hugging her.

The day after the party at Andrew's Buttercup had called Elena and told her about how she had found an artist to do the album cover. Mitch was upset because he really just wanted his drawing of two stick figures doing an inappropriate adult act to be the album cover. Ace had sent some pictures of his some tattoos and drawings to Buttercup to show to the band and eventually the dirty stick figures got annexed. Buttercup was seriously impressed with Ace's work, he was an amazing artist.

"So what is the deal with you and this artist?" Elena asked with a small devious smile.

Buttercup had never told Elena about Ace. She really did get over her crush on him, by the time that Buttercup had met Elena when they were 10 she had forgotten about Ace and never mentioned him. Now that he was back in town and Buttercup had seen the person he was now…her desire for him was purely primal.

"He was actually apart of the gang that I used to have to fight when I was little," Buttercup explained thinking back to the memories, "they were just local punks…Ace was always doing graffiti and spray painting walls."

"That sounds kinda cool, street artists and now tattoo artist," Elena noted, "was there anything else that happened?"

"What do you mean?" Buttercup asked trying to play dumb.

"Between you and him," Elena questioned her.

"Well…there was this one time when I was 6 and he was 14," Buttercup started to explain and told her the story of how Ace nearly killed his sisters. She was so angry.

"Damn he kind of sounds like a scumbag," Elena said bluntly. Buttercup always liked that about her.

"Yeah he kind of was," Buttercup agreed, "hot but a scumbag."

"Most guys are like that," Elena agreed, "but that's why I switched to girls."

Buttercup smirked and agreed.

"Hey if you bang him just promise me you'll be safe," Elena stated pointing her finger at her, "I don't meant to sound bitchy but you don't want to end up like Bubbles."

"Yeah I know," Buttercup said quickly and ran her hand through her shoulder length hair, "maybe I should get on the pill."

"Just go to the free clinic they sell it for $30 a month," Elena explained

Buttercup thought it over, she probably should before they go to Citysville. She was ready to start living her life.

A few minutes later Blossom came knocking on their door, stood outside and said, "5 o'clock! Times up, and Buttercup…the professor just got home early."

Elena and Buttercup both grimaced at the door.

"Oh great…" Buttercup groaned and rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry in advanced for anything stupid my dad says."

Elena nodded in understanding, "it's ok…won't be the first or last time."

"Still annoying… I cannot wait to get out of here," Buttercup agreed as she unplugged her bass and put it back on the stand.

She helped Elena gather up her things and carried her amp out as they headed to the stairs.

"Buttercup! How many times do I have to tell you not to leave your fucking backpack by the door?" the professor grouched as he hung up his jacket on the nearby coat rack.

"Sorry," Buttercup said quickly grabbing her backpack.

"I'm sorry too sir," Elena said also grabbing hers equally quickly.

"Oh I didn't know you were here," the professor said barley glancing at her, "Blossom did Buttercup leave her door open while the two of them were upstairs."

"Dad…please," Blossom called from inside the kitchen trying to finish all the dishes that were piling up.

Buttercup sighed quietly and quickly fabricated a lie, "We were doing our homework dad, Elena's really good at writing and was helping me on my paper."

"Good I want to read it after dinner," the professor said walking right past the two of them, "Blossom are the sandwiches ready?"

"Yup!" Blossom said with a happy tone, "I made it just the way you like!"

Buttercup walked Elena to the door and stepped out closing the door behind her.

"Is you dad always that uptight?" Elena asked with a concerned look.

"Pretty much," Buttercup shrugged, "I guess things are tough at work right now so he's being a dick."

"Sorry," Elena stated, "so text me when you see Ace to give him the CD and talk to him about out music so he knows what we want."

"I will," Buttercup promised as she hugged Elena when her mom's car came pulling into the drive way.

Buttercup waved them off and went back inside and went to do her homework. Like usual she half assed it and usually ended up looking up new bass chords to memorize. But if she didn't have anything to present to the professor by dinner she'd be in deep shit. Bubbles came home soon after and just the same went to her room and presumably did her homework. She did send Buttercup pictures of their apartment, it was a little small but Bubbles and Boomer were excited.

Dinner tuned out to be incredibly short. Blossom made them all excellent sub sandwiches, instead of sitting down and eating the professor just grabbed on off the plate and said he had to go to his lab to work, he wouldn't come out until around 2 in the morning. Dinner sometimes ended like this, this was the only time Buttercup ever got away with eating in her room, which she took full advantage of.

While she laid in her room watching movies on her laptop, she decided to text Ace to tell him that she got the CD done.

Buttercup: _Hey got the CD recorded want me to mail it to you_

It took awhile to Ace to respond, Buttercup kept checking her phone before she finally told herself to stop waiting on a guy. And hour later she got a text back.

Ace: _Hey kid, I'm actually still in town, been hangn with lil' Arturo_

So Lil' Arturo was still around. She wondered where everyone else was.

Ace: _Wanna meet me at bonsai park tomorrow at noon?_

Buttercup: _I would but I cant ditch anymore school, bloss will tell prof and hell flip out_

Ace: _oh right… just meet me after you get out_

Buttercup: _alright sounds good_

A few more minutes later while Buttercup was brushing her teeth, her phone chimed again. She got another text from Ace.

Ace: _Bring you bass, I wanna hear you play : )_

For the first time Buttercup actually felt nervous about playing in front of him, even from the beginning she never had stage fright but now the notion of playing in front of Ace unnerved her.

Buttercup: _ok : )_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

On this day Buttercup decided to fly home, and quickly. She was meeting Ace today at Bonsai Park in ten minutes and she had to get her bass. The house was empty when she got home, she even beat Blossom home. She didn't stay home to long, she quickly grabbed her bass, and the CD she and Elena made. As she was about to leave, she checked herself in the mirror. She was wearing one of her baggy band t-shirts and shorts, her dark raven hear was swooped back into a ponytail and her eyeliner had melted down her cheek from the warm weather. After quickly scrubbing underneath her eyes, she slung her bass over her shoulder and took to the skies heading to Bonsai park.

Even flying high overhead, the air was warm, she approached Bonsai park and landed swiftly at the entrance, the air was thick with the smell of cherry blossoms. At the park it was typical afternoon, several children were splashing and cooling off in the lake, couples lounged under the shady tress watching their kids while others rode their bikes around the paved paths. Buttercup scanned through the slew of people. She found Ace over in the far corner leaning up against a large tree far off from all the activity of the park.

He seemed to look around the park sullenly, watching all the others of the park with a mix of boredom and distaste. Like he before he had on a black graphic t-shirt that seemed to cling to his muscles nicely, and this time his signature shades covered his eyes and his greasy black hair fell lazily in his face. When he finally noticed her from across the field, he smiled and raised his hand waving at her. Buttercup grinned and made her way over to him.

"Hey kid," Ace greeted her not moving from where he leaned against the tree.

"Hey," Buttercup greeted as she felt her stomach begin to churn at thinking over the last time she saw him. The embarrassment of being drunk and stoned was coming back to her, "look I wanted to tell you that I'm… I'm sorry for throwing up all over you last time we…hung out."

"Eh no biggie," Ace shrugged it off, "I've had worse moments then that when I was drunk."

Buttercup not looked at the graphic on his t-shirt, it was of a Cobra sinking its fangs into a heart with a banner over it saying 'Venom Ink Tattoo'.

"Is that your shop in Citysville?" Buttercup questioned.

"Well…not my shop," Ace said tugging at the hem of his shirt, "it's my buddy Leo's shop, he's owned it for the last twenty somethin' years. I've worked there for about four years now."

"That's awesome, I'll have to come check it out when we get there," Buttercup grinned thinking in anticipation of tattoo. Her and the rest of the band had all made plans to get matching tattoos of roses, Mitch already had his which his mom paid for on his 18th birthday.

"Well you're gonna have to wait a bit," Ace pointed out, "we don't tattoo minors."

"Hey two more months," Buttercup asserted again and reached for the pocket on her guitar case that held the CD and held it out to him.

"Thanks," Ace said sliding it into his back pocket.

The two stood there for a moment in an awkward silence.

"So," Buttercup started to ask, "you're staying with Arturo now?"

"Yeah," Ace nodded as he sat down in the grass and invited Buttercup to sit with him, "he owns a really good Mexican food joint near the dump and he's letting me stay with him. I actually decided to stick around a little while longer because I got a booth to go tattoo at the Skater Boyz fest."

"Oh the band and I tried out for a spot to play at the festival but we didn't get in," Buttercup stated as she got comfortable opposite from him under the shady tree.

"That sucks," Ace responded.

Again, awkward silence. They both just sat there unsure of what to say really so Buttercup grabbed for her bass.

"So how'd you get into playing?" Ace asked as he watched her.

"Actually it was when I was around twelve or thirteen," Buttercup started to say as she pulled the strap over her shoulder, "Elena had been my best friend for a few years and her dad played guitar and he taught her how to play. I always loved listening to her play and she got me into really awesome punk and classic rock music, that was where I really got my passion for it. And for my birthday her and her dad bought me this bass and I started to teach myself."

Ace smirked, "I always figured you'd end up doing something like that."

Buttercup smiled and paced her hand on the neck, "Yeah… I don't know what I would do without Belladonna. She's basically the only escape I get from my life."

"Is everything ok?" Ace asked.

"What do you mean?" Buttercup replied unsure of what he meant.

"I mean," Ace said running his hand through his hair slicking it back, "you talk about leaving a lot and you seem… different."

"Well you're a lot different from what I remember," Buttercup pointed out eyeing his muscly arms, now that they weren't standing in a dark alley she could see some ink on the inside of his forearm.

"Yeah… I guess we've both changed," Ace replied simply and glanced down at his tattooed arm and held it up, "I've only got five tattoos right now, this one is a Banksy style street rat."

There was something oddly cute about the rat, Buttercup thought. Next to it was also some simple graffiti style letters that said 'I'm not trash'. Buttercup looked at Ace with a pained look and wondered if he there was a deeper meaning behind this tattoo.

"So play something' for me," Ace said leaning back resting on his hands, "I wanna hear you play."

Buttercup now felt self-conscience, she didn't understand why she felt nervous about playing in front of Ace, "What do you want to hear?"

"Anything," ace said and smiled warmly at her, is fangs poking out of his smile.

Buttercup wished he'd take is glasses off again, she remembered his deep brown eyes. With her hand on the neck of the guitar, she took a deep breath and started to strum. She decided to start with the most melodic song for bass, it was one of their more quiet and sad songs, it was a song about Elena's parents' divorce. For the next half hour, Buttercup just went through playing various songs that she knew. She even knew how to play a few songs that Ace had asked about.

"Hey you're pretty good kid," Ace acknowledged with approval, "if this CD is as good as it think it is you'll all do great in Citysville."

"I just can't wait to get out of here," Buttercup said rolling her eyes.

Ace looked her over speculating, "Buttercup… are you sure everything's ok?"

Buttercup felt her stomach turn a bit, she thought to all of the tension back at home and the drama between her sisters and the professor.

"It's all just stupid drama," Buttercup said trying to find the words, "the Professor has just been acting weird lately."

"Weird how?" Ace asked.

"He's just…" Buttercup said sighing, "really stressed I guess and I just don't think any of us really know whats going on right now."

"He hasn't been like," Ace started to say delicately, "he hasn't hit ya or anything has he?"

"No," Buttercup responded, "he wouldn't ever do that to us."

"Good," Ace replied and changed the subject, "So how's Bubbles? She ok?"

"Yeah," Buttercup said and told him about how Boomer got a job with the police force full time and they gave him a small apartment and how they planned to live together.

"Good for her," Ace said smiling warmly, "she's a nice girl…and Blossom?"

"Still annoying," Buttercup replied simply rolling her eyes.

"Hey be cool," Ace pushed, "she's your sister."

"Yeah the most controlling sister I've ever had," Buttercup explained, "she tries so hard to keep the professor happy and all the while she's trying to steamroll everything me and Bubbles do."

"I get that but she's still your family," Ace responded.

Buttercup regarded the grown man next to her curiously. The last she remembered of him he was a selfish, angry and manipulative smooth talking kid. He would constantly pick on anyone that he could take advantage of them, spray painting and graffitiing all over town, constantly stealing cars and anything he could from stores and even pushing around his gang brothers to do his bidding. Now here he was, more mature and calm and talking to his teen hood nemesis about the importance of family and encouraging her to do the right thing.

"What?" Ace asked with a small smile.

"Huh?" Buttercup said snapping out of her gaze embarrassed upon realizing that she had been staring at him for the last minute.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ace asked.

Buttercup chuckled and started to say, "Well… you're just so different for what I remember. I mean last time I saw you, you were always so…angry and mean. Now you're like a totally different person."

Ace's jaw clenched but still hung onto every word that Buttercup was saying. Buttercup could tell his mind was running with the look on contempt on his face as he said, "Yeah… a lots happened since then. I'm not the same man I was before."

Buttercup was reminded of the first day she had seen him a few weeks ago, alone and crying in a grave yard. She still didn't know who he was mourning and she didn't feel it was her place to ask.

"Will you tell me?" Buttercup asked softly as the cool summer breeze blew her ponytail, "What happened when you guys left."

Ace shifted besides her, changing his position, "Well… let's just say the system finally caught up with us. Arturo was a runaway kid that had been missing for a few years once he got caught he got sent back to his family. It didn't last long though, he just ran away again to come back here to be with his girl and now they own that Mexican joint. Billy's family was sick of us hanging around their son so they moved to a Florida when he was seventeen and Grubber got sent to a 'special needs' facility in another state, I get emails from them every once in a while, and I think they're doing fine. My and Snake got sent to a detention center in Citysville because the one here in Townsville was full."

Like Ace, Buttercup held onto every word he was saying, picturing each of the boys that she for one night when she was six considered to be her friends. She was curious of how each of them would ultimately end up.

"Then what?" Buttercup pressed on.

Now Ace's look of contempt changed to anger, a face that Buttercup recognized well.

Ace sighed and ran a hand through is hair and started talking quickly, "Same shit just a few years older really… once I got out of the detention center started stealing, and painting walls all over Citysville. I got caught up with the wrong people, worse than any of the shit that the Gang Green Gang ever pulled in this town. From there I got really deep into drugs, and drinking and fighting."

Buttercup watched him tell his story with wide eyes picturing Ace on the streets of Citysville

"Eventually I got caught dealing and went to a jail in New York for two and half years," Ace confessed with a look a guilt.

"You were in jail?" Buttercup asked surprised. Usually all the things that Ace did was stupid petty stuff that he managed to get away with, and even then, it he always usually ended up in a juvenile delinquent center.

"Yeah and you know what? That was probably the best thing that ever happened to me," Ace confessed, "while I was in, I couldn't get to any of the drugs I was addicted to. The withdrawal was some of the most painful shit I had to go through. The people I was locked up with, they were all rapist and murderers. I was a just stupid kid who thought I was tough shit and could handle anything, all those guys in there set me straight real quick. My parole officer knew I was into graffiti so he gave me pencils and a pad of paper and told me start drawing instead of fighting. I learned to keep to myself and all I would do all day long is just draw. For the first time in my life I found something that I love that wasn't drugs or fighting. Once I got out I was living in a halfway house and I promised myself to turn around and I met Leo who I apprenticed with for little over a year and ended up getting a job at Venom Ink."

Buttercup sat there letting everything that Ace had told her sink in, "And now…here you are."

Ace nodded with a still dreamy look on his face as he quietly said, "here I am."

The sun was starting to set and the park was beginning to clear out. The sky glowed a bright orange color as the sun warmed Buttercup's skin. She could picture every part of his life and how it played out. She understood that everything that had happened had shaped and changed the boy she knew into the man who was now sitting next to her. She never really had any idea about what had happened to her old crush. As the years had passed, she had come to momentarily forget about them as life went on.


End file.
